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4. Address an individual, never a title by itself

Don’t address your envelope Attention — Personnel Director, or Manager or Head of Accounting Department.

We threw out applications addressed only to Creative Director or Chairman on the ground that if the writer were too lazy to find out a person’s name, he or she would be too lazy to do a good job.

Spell all names right. It is astonishing how often job applicants misspell names, including the names of the firms they want to work for. A message comes through even before the letter is read: “This applicant can’t be seriously interested in working here.”

Check and double check all names, even those you think you know. Are you sure it’s “Field” and not “Fields”? How many “f’s” are there in “Hefner”? Does Eliot spell his name with one “l” or two, one “t” or two? Is it “Ann” or “Anne”? “Proctor” or “Procter”?

5. Be specific and factual

Once you’ve made clear what job you want, then touch on your chief qualification. Avoid egotistical abstractions such as:

Ambition mixed with striving for excellence is one of my strongest assets.

Ask yourself how you would feel saying that to a prospective employer. If it would embarrass you in person, don’t put it in writing.

So how do you indicate personal characteristics that may be among your most important qualifications? Be specific. Offer evidence in support of any claim of ability, and put the evidence factually.

My experience includes such activities as:

Utilizing continuous process improvement methodologies and quality tools in the redesign of company processes to reduce defect conditions and increase profitability

Working closely with departments to identify opportunities for process improvements

Coaching/mentoring teams in the use of quality tools such as Pareto charts, Fishbone diagrams, Scatter diagrams, Regression analysis, Designed Experiments, and others

Establishing control charts to help business leaders accurately assess both the stability of their processes and the ability of these processes to meet customer requirements

Designing a process management system that will allow the business leaders to understand and manage their respective departments as a series of interrelated processes

Additional details are included in the accompanying resume.

Touch on your most important accomplishments in the same matter-of-fact style. Cover your pertinent responsibilities. Never brag, but don’t hesitate to cite authentic evidence of your value. If you don’t blow your own horn, who will?

6. Be personal, direct, and natural

You are a human being writing to another human being. Neither of you is an institution. Be businesslike and courteous, but not stiff and impersonal.

The more your letter sounds like you, the more it will stand apart from the letters of your competitors. But don’t try to dazzle the reader with your sparkling personality. You wouldn’t show off in an interview, so why show off in a letter? If you make each sentence sound the way you would say it across a desk, there will be plenty of personality in your letter.

Most good covering letters make their point in about a half page; few run longer than a page. If your cover letter looks more formidable than your resume, you have defeated your purpose.

Keep it short.

7. Propose a specific next step

You will be writing to a person or to a box number. In either case, close the letter with a clear and precise statement of how you wish to proceed toward an interview — remember that’s your objective, not a “We’ll keep your letter on file” response.

Avoid such mumblings as:

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I’m looking forward to the opportunity of discussing a position with you.

All such conclusions place the burden of the next step on your busy prospective employer. Why make someone else work on your behalf? Do the job yourself.

I’ll call your office Wednesday afternoon to see if you’d like me to come in for an interview.

I’m free for an interview every morning until